


it starts with a boom

by im_a_banana



Series: space-bois fam [1]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Alien Impostor(s) (Among Us), Crew as Family, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_a_banana/pseuds/im_a_banana
Summary: “My dudes, since nobody else will, I’m gonna address the elephant in the spaceship: Orange, why do you like Green so much?” Black joked, giving a friendly shoulder push to a very embarrassed Orange. “I mean, I kinda see where you’re coming from, with that mysterious aura and mighty muscles of his— but man, he’s scary!”“Totally! Green looks capable of, and I’m not even exaggerating, send each and every single one of us flying from here to Reactor,” Yellow agreed, snorting with amusement.Honestly, sometimes Orange craved to slap those stupid colleagues of his in the face.He definitely didn't have a crush on Green. Not a chance.It's not like he was the type to do something really stupid for Green, especially during an on-board emergency...
Relationships: Black/Red (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Green/Orange (Among Us), Pink/White (Among Us)
Series: space-bois fam [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047988
Comments: 7
Kudos: 76





	it starts with a boom

“Captain, we’ve got five more asteroids coming towards us, at 12 o’clock!” Pink’s screech echoed inside the crowded room, her experienced fingers pressing buttons and turning knobs in a desperate attempt to get a clean shot and destroy the looming danger. “The cannons just can’t keep up!”

  
The deafening siren had been roaring for hours in the ears of the crew, which at this point was on the verge of hysteria and half-blinded by the flashing lights, bumping into each other and running pointlessly from one side of the room to another.

  
Desperately, fruitlessly trying to make themselves useful.

  
Captain Red knew it was up to him to keep a cool head during an emergency but, even underneath the thunderous alarm, the cold dread in his tone sounded even louder, seeping though the thick fabric of his spacesuit. “Nonsense, Pink! You’re our most talented shooter, so give it your best already!” he barked, holding onto a chair as the space ship suddenly started to waver. “Vice-Captain Green, what’s wrong with the engines!?”

  
“An asteroid hit the left engine, Captain Red. The damage is repairable, but if the right one were to be hit as well…” Green reported from Navigation, the old transmitter distorting his already strained— although still dignified —voice. “I’m afraid it would be the end of us, sir.”

  
“I—I can’t do this anymore!” Pink let go of the controls as if she’d been electrocuted, stumbling backwards and into the brownish railing of Weapons, letting herself slowly drop into a defeated, pathetic crouch. “I’m sorry, guys. I’m so sorry, I’m just so tired…”

  
A white-colored silhouette was beside Pink in an instant, wrapping her quivering frame into her arms. “Pink, it’s ok, it doesn’t matter. You did all you could, you’ve been at it for hours,” White gently soothed her weeping partner, holding her tighter and refusing to leave her side.

  
White’s message might’ve not been loud, Orange thought, but it was clear enough in the crewmates’ eyes. " _Don’t ask for anything else from Pink. She’s done enough."_

  
“What do we do now, Captain? Pink was our best shot,” Blue babbled, staring at the empty firing position with raw, unadulterated despair. Her next question, barely a whisper, finally gave voice to everyone’s current fear. “Are… are we honestly going to survive this, Red?”

  
But before Red could open his mouth and come up with an answer, a terrifying blast reverberated from the adjacent corridor, the one on their right side.

  
_“No. It’s not just from the corridor,”_ Orange gasped, his amber eyes open wide underneath the shiny faceplate of his helmet as he stared at the licking flames, realization hitting him harder than the explosion itself. It—  
It came from Navigation.

  
“Green, NO!” Orange screamed at the top of his lungs, his limbs moving on their own, mindlessly, causing the astronaut to lunge forward and into the flaming inferno. Brown barely managed to grab his arm and yank him back in time, cursing under his breath. “Let me go, Brown! Let go of me, Green needs our help!”

**> ATTENTION! Oxygen depleted in 90 seconds… 89… 88… 87…<**

“T-the oxygen! The explosion must’ve damaged the ventilation system, we will suffocate!” Yellow babbled, his lithe frame quivering with fear.

  
That last sentence allowed Red to snap out of the numbness and shock of the probable loss of his Vice and most trusted friend. Now there was no time to mourn. Not only that; if Red didn’t step up as an unshakable leader, none of them would live long enough to mourn anything else but their own asphyxiated corpse.

  
“Oh no, we won’t! Black, you’re the fastest and strongest of the crew: you and Yellow must run to Admin and restore the ventilation before we all suffocate! Brown and Orange, you two try to avoid the flames and reach O2. Look for Green, and if you can— if he’s still alive— bring him back to us,” the Captain instructed, taking place on the firing position and baring his teeth in a determined snarl. “I, on the other end, will obliterate every single one of those goddamn asteroids, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  
“Yessir!” the four subordinates replied, before springing into action and splitting into pairs.

* * *

“Brown, look! The flames in the corridor are already growing weaker,” Orange managed to exclaim through a coughing fit, caused by the foulness of the smoke which was seeping through his suit, his airways spasming for the effort of speaking. “I guess it’s a good thing that the ventilation has been damaged, there’s less oxygen for the fire to feed on.”

  
“And less oxygen for us to breathe too, so let’s get moving,” Brown remarked, making a rather fair point.

  
Despite the good news, the two crewmates were forced to slowly slide towards O2 with their backs pressed tightly against the wall, keeping far away from the burning danger. At that rate, they would never reach Green in time.

  
“Go fix the oxygen, Brown. One of us must reach Navigation and assist Green,” as his taller colleague’s fingers wrapped around his bicep for the second time that day, Orange let out an annoyed groan. “Green could still be alive, you know it! We can’t just abandon him, you’ve heard the Captain’s orders, haven’t you?”

  
As the two astronauts stared at each other in utter silence, Orange couldn’t help but notice that, even underneath the helmet, Brown’s hazel irises were glistening with fear and concern and perhaps something else. “Orange, you can’t be serious! Yeah, Green might still be alive, but the only certainty I have right now is that you are still alive, right in front of me!” he reasoned, his breathing coming in short, ragged gasps. “We can’t lose another crewmate and I can’t lose you, Orange. You know what you mean to me, and if you were to die here because I let you jump into the fire on your own… I would never forgive myself. Please, just wait a moment, only until I fix O2! Then I’ll go with you, I promise!”

**> ATTENTION! Oxygen depleted in 54 seconds… 53…. 52…<**

Orange could see them clearly; the love and adoration buried deeply inside of Brown’s eyes, and they were all for him, they’ve always been there since the very start of their space travel. Or perhaps even before— Brown’s unspoken feelings slowly growing as the two of them progressed from clumsy rookies attending the same course together, just trying not to vomit during the exhilarating simulations and parabolic flights, to accomplished astronauts.

  
And yet, despite the bond the two of them shared— oh, what could Orange do about it? Brown didn’t make his heart skip a beat like Green did, Brown’s eyes were not the same, beautiful shade of emerald green Orange could lose himself into for hours, Brown just… just wasn’t Green.

  
It was as simple as that.

* * *

_“My dudes, since nobody else will, I’m gonna address the elephant in the spaceship: Orange, why do you like Green so much?” Black had joked at Cafeteria once, giving a friendly shoulder push to a very embarrassed Orange. “I mean, I kinda see where you’re coming from, with that mysterious aura and mighty muscles of his— but man, he’s scary!”_

  
_“Totally! Green looks capable of, and I’m not even exaggerating, send each and every single one of us flying from here to Reactor,” Yellow agreed, snorting with amusement._

  
_“Aw, com’on guys, stop teasing Orange!” Pink jumped in his defense, acting as a mediator. “You can’t help the way you feel about someone, Black. Don’t even think we haven’t noticed the way you’ve been drooling all over Captain Red!”_

  
_Black let out an overly-dramatic gasp and slapped one hand on his chest, pretending to be offended. “You’re just jealous ‘cause you have no taste in men, Pink. I mean, has any of you fools taken a good look at that ass??”_

  
_Her lip curled up in disgust, White threw a small loaf of bread at Black. “First of all, Pink’s a lesbian, you dumbass. Second, she’s my wife; she’s definitely not checking out anyone else’s ass on my watch!” she warned, wielding a fork in a threateningly manner._

  
_“Oof, I feel so bad for Pink now,” Black pouted, getting ready to sprint and escape White’s wrath. “Bad taste in women as well.”_

  
_As the entire table bursted out laughing at the sight of White chasing Black between the tables and down the corridors, Orange forced himself to put aside his entertainment and act mature. The last thing they needed was having Red, or especially Green, walk in on such a childish scene. “Should we stop them before they break something, or…?”_

  
_“Nah, let them play, they’ll sort it out. Anyways,” Pink reached out to gently put her hand above Orange’s, giving it an encouraging squeeze. Her sweet smile was sincere as she continued with her speech, “I honestly think Green’s a great guy, Orange. He’s responsible, reliable and kind… I see why you like him so much. You’d be really cute together, if you ask me.”_

  
_Pink could be a hopeless happy-go-lucky girl sometimes, Orange thought gratefully, but she surely knew how to make a friend smile. “Thank you, Pink. I appreciate it.”_

* * *

**> ATTENTION! Oxygen depleted in 45 seconds… 44…. 43…<**

“Brown, I thank you for your devotion. But every single second counts right now, you know that,” the shorter astronaut stated, affectionately squeezing his old friend’s shoulders. That was all Orange could offer him. “and I can’t ask you to risk your life, too. Repair O2, I’ll go get Green.”

  
Brown’s last desperate shout barely reached Orange’s ears as he unhesitatingly dashed towards Navigation, ignoring the scorching heat and blinding smoke that clung around him like a vise. _“Hold on, Green— I’m coming.”_

* * *

During all the years spent working for MIRA, as few as they were, Orange had seen his fair share of messed up stuff. Well, he was a nuclear physicist, so he probably could’t have seen any worse than White, the spaceship’s doctor, but still… fixing a reactor meltdown can be pretty fucking scary.

  
And despite that, no training, no textbook, anything at all, could’ve prepared Orange for the sight of Green splayed on the ground in a puddle of blood, with a wall of pitch black smoke huffing from the control board and circling around his body like a flock of vultures.

  
“Green! Green— oh God, no. Oh, my God…” Orange rushed over his unconscious superior, dropping on his knees at the unsettling sight of what was left of Green’s left arm; nothing but a torn, bloody stump which obviously required immediate medical intervention. _“His arm, it’s… it’s gone. If I don’t take him to White as soon as possible, he’ll bleed out!”_

  
Struggling against the sense of nausea, Orange slipped his neck underneath the unresponsive Vice-Captain’s underarm, leveraging on his own leg to support Green’s greater weight and heading blindly towards the exit.

  
The fire had subsided, but there was so much smoke that Orange couldn’t even see past the end of his nose, and the lack of fresh air was beginning to weight on his brain functions, especially on his already strained sight.

  
_“I feel so weak— how long have I been breathing smoke?”_ as his vision became more and more blurred with every single step, the astronaut understood that was how he was gonna die; and not just him, but Green as well. With his incompetence and lack of strength, he’d doomed them both.

  
All of the sudden, the orange-clothed crewmate felt something force his and Green’s limp bodies back up; squinting his amber eyes, Orange found himself staring at Black’s nape, damp with perspiration.

  
“B—Black? What’s going…?” Orange tried to call for his colleague, but only a ragged sough managed to go past his dry lips. Staying conscious was a challenge and he couldn’t exactly focus on his surroundings but, now that he paid attention, Orange couldn’t hear the damned alarm siren anymore. All around him, thick tongues of smoke still danced like grey, venomous snakes. _“They managed to fix O2.”_

  
Half-hobbling and half-dragging his limbs down the hall nearby O2, his labored breathing betraying the massive effort it cost him, Black was carrying both Orange and Green on his broad, strong shoulders as fast as he could.

  
“Don’t worry guys, you’re safe now. You’re lucky I decided to check O2. But just for the record, you two could use a few pounds less,” the dark-colored astronaut grunted and wheezed, using the last drop of his strength to cross the threshold of Weapons and stop right in front of the rest of the crew.  
At last, Orange felt Black’s legs give out, causing the three of them to collapse on the cold, hard floor.

  
Then everything went dark.

* * *

Waking up from the endless sleep wounds and shock brought was harder than Orange had ever imagined; every time he tried to force himself to fight it, invisible claws gripped onto him and dragged him back into the darkness. Was it sleep at all? Or was it death what he was trapped into?  
If that was the case, then death was pretty weird, since the astronaut could definitely sense something solid and very, very tangible poking his cheekbone. Another nudge immediately followed, this time on his arm. Goddamn, not even in death would he finally find peace?

  
“Wake up. Orange, please, wake up.”

  
_"This voice— I know this voice!”_ a rush of pure excitement pumped into Orange’s veins upon hearing those simple, yet so heartfelt words. That newfound energy was all the man needed to slowly open his eyes, and as soon as he did, a certain someone’s handsome face stood out against the pale room light. “Green… you’re alive,” Orange wheezed, hoping that his feeble voice would carry at least half the delight he was feeling in seeing Green safe and sound.

  
The Vice-Captain’s head shot up and the usually stoic man’s gaze, always so composed, always so unflappable, brightened with genuine relief. “Orange? Orange, thank the stars you’re awake!” Green murmured, the line of his shoulders relaxing all of the sudden, as if all the anxiety and the worry he’d felt up to that moment had finally shed like old skin. There were profound rings under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in a while. “How do you feel?”

  
“I’m… I’m still alive, I guess. Clearly more rested than you,” Orange mused with a grateful smile, blinking away the dizziness from his eyes and stirring every muscle very gradually. He winced as he felt his poor limbs scream in protest, far too stiff to move comfortably— clearly, he’d been asleep for more than just one day. “I mean, we almost got blown up back there. If it weren’t for Black—”

  
Memories of what happened only the stars knew how many hours before came back at once to slap Orange in the face, flashing in his mind and chilling the blood in his veins. “Black, he saved us! How could I forget about him? Is Black alright?”

  
Strong fingers wrapped warmly around his shoulders in an instant, squeezing away every single drop of panic, just like that. “Don’t worry, Black is fine. Only a few scratches,” the Vice-Captain’s tone was so steady, calm and deep that Orange couldn’t help but melt before its solemnity. “He’s over there with Red,” Green added, pointing the aforementioned duo with a brisk nod, emerald eyes narrowed to slits as he watched the Captain and the dark-clothed crewmate whispering softly to one another, so close that the tip of their noses were almost brushing.

  
“Oh. _Oh_ ,” Orange gaped as Black, always the same audacious self, gave Red The Eyes™ as the Captain chuckled lightheartedly at one of his, most likely, dumb jokes. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Orange struggled to find the right words to say to defend his friend: non-formalized relationships between colleagues were notoriously frowned upon, and the whole crew knew how committed Green was about enforcing the rules. “So… Black and Red? Who would have guessed it, uh?”

  
“Literally everybody,” Green shrugged knowingly, his body language as unreadable as his expression. At last, the Vice-Captain simply heaved a ragged, resigned sigh. “Truth to be told, Red has had a soft spot for that guy for some time now. The day before yesterday’s events must’ve pushed Black to make a bolder move, it seems. And there goes my faith in Red’s common sense…”

  
So Green— the inflexible, I-have-a-stick-up-my-ass Green— knew about them all along, and just let it slide!?

  
Orange’s expression must’ve oozed with astonishment, because Green looked at him straight in the face as he went on. “Do not underestimate me, Orange. When you have an entire crew under your responsibility, you must learn to watch, observe and, sometimes, turn a blind eye to certain things,” the older astronaut explained, raising an unfazed eyebrow at him. “And no offense, but you newbies are not exactly discreet about your preferences, so to speak. I might seem detached, sure, but I’m not a fool. I know everything, Orange.”

  
Green’s sharp irises bore into Orange’s soul like razor-sharp claws, snatching every single trace of air from the shorter astronaut’s lungs. A strange primal instinct told Orange that, if he dared to expose his throat at that very moment, Green would pounce on him and tear it open with a swift bite. And yet, such a twisted though was enough to send a pleasing shiver up and down his spine. What was wrong with him?

  
“Everything?” Orange gulped, testing the water.

  
“Everything,” Green confirmed, blinking consciously slowly not to break eye-contact with his subordinate.

  
Unexpectedly, no aversion or displeasure permeated from Green’s piercing gaze, quite the contrary. Blazing embers, brimming with poorly-hidden desire, were scorching the Vice-Captain’s emerald eyes, like a fire devours a forest. But just as quickly as they’d been ignited, the flames were extinguished by the sudden gravity in his voice. “But we can’t, and never will.”

  
Taken aback, Orange watched Green rise to his full, impressive height and turn his back on him. “I will make sure White checks on your injuries regularly, and I will immediately notify Brown about your awakening. He will want to come and visit you, along with the others,” the green-clothed crewmate murmured, refusing to look back at his physically, and now also emotionally, wounded colleague. However, Orange did not miss the slight, irritated edge in Green’s tone as he mentioned Brown. “Your friends really care about you, especially Brown. I had to force him to go get some rest, he watched over you almost all night.”

  
_“So did you, you stayed beside me the whole time! I know you did. Stop distancing yourself from your own crew like this!”_ was what Orange wanted to scream, but instead he just dipped his head in defeat, like the stupid coward he was. “Alright. Thank you for your concern, Vice-Captain Green.”

  
Green was already walking out of the infirmary when Orange’s quiet words reached his ears, making him halt in his confident tracks. He hesitated for a moment, just one, before he finally decided to turn back.

  
“No, Orange. Thank you for rescuing me. You may think you didn’t do much, but Black wouldn’t have found me if you didn’t drag my body out of Navigation,” he murmured, at last allowing himself to put on a tiny smile— it was so infinitesimal, and yet sincere and more than Orange could’ve hoped for. “I will never forget your bravery as long as I live. I owe you my life.”

  
That said, Green awkwardly returned Orange’s respectful nod and then strode out of the room, leaving his colleague alone but positively surprised by such an atypical warmth.

  
In fact, Orange was so positively surprised that he completely forgot to ask Green how the heck his left arm, which had clearly been blown to pieces in the explosion, was still perfectly attached to his body.

**Author's Note:**

> I still don't know if I should write a few fics about these space-bois, but I had so much fun writing this


End file.
